Pulling for their favorite sport

Thursday

Jun 12, 2008 at 2:00 AMJun 12, 2008 at 10:00 PM

It is early morning on Lake Wequaquet, and most residents are either still sleeping or enjoying that first cup of coffee. Across the glassy waters of the lake, however, a foursome of young women glides along smoothly, their boat skimming the lake’s stillness with barely a sound other than the gentle slap of long oars rhythmically dipping the water.

Kathleen Szmit

Kathleen Szmit photo SKILLEDSCULLING – Making it looks easy, Cape Cod Rowing’s PJ Hooton, Caitlin Mooney, Abbie Young and Emily Sgarlat glide across Lake Wequaquet during a recent practice. The foursome recently won the MPSRA state title. Cape Cod Rowing team earns state title It is early morning on Lake Wequaquet, and most residents are either still sleeping or enjoying that first cup of coffee. Across the glassy waters of the lake, however, a foursome of young women glides along smoothly, their boat skimming the lake’s stillness with barely a sound other than the gentle slap of long oars rhythmically dipping the water. This is no simple rowboat ride. The girls – PJ Hooton, Caitlin Mooney, Abbie Young and Emily Sgarlat – are part of Cape Cod Rowing and are in the midst of an intense hour-and-a-half-long practice. Young and Sgarlat are the youngest of this quad, heading into ninth and tenth grades respectively, and according to coach Guy Monseair are among the sport’s strongest. Mooney will be a junior and like Young and Sgarlat attends Barnstable High School. Hooton is a recent graduate of BHS and hopes to attend UMass Amherst in the fall. “Okay, girls,” said Monseair, whose strong, almost-Australian accent belies his true Zimbabwean origins. “Plop-plops to the steady-state.” Excuse me? While his directions may sound nonsensical to an untrained ear, they make perfect sense to the quad, which immediately dunks the oars in the water several times before rocketing once again across the water in a flowing rhythm known as the “steady-state.” The girls are sculling (rowing with two oars in a long, needle-like vessel known as a shell, this one named Kaloke’s Fire, Kaloke meaning “free man” in Hawaiian). “It’s about a 20-year-old quad,” said Monseair. “We got it from someone in Oregon and it already had the name. It’s bad luck to change a boat name once it’s been named.” Regardless the name seems fitting, especially when one considers the boat’s crew. “These kids are amazing athletes,” said Monseair. “Racing tends to involve decent kids because it’s very hard work with little gratification.” Indeed, unlike varsity sports at area high schools, there are no cheering crowds here, no MVPs and no big post-season celebration dinners. “We don’t need an audience cheering us on,” said Mooney. “We have each other in the boat right here.” The sport is also extremely physical. Contrary to popular belief that it’s mostly about pulling oars, the team tells otherwise. “That’s what I thought when I first did it,” said Sgarlat. “Then you get in the boat and there’s so much to think about.” Just the mere mention of the term “erging” elicits a series of eye rolls. “Erging” is rowing on a special ergonomic rowing machine that tracks time and workout intensity and takes the place of water rowing during the winter or inclement weather. “It’s like rowing in a single but way worse,” said Hooton. “You have the time right in front of you so you push even harder,” said Mooney. “Rowing is the most intense sport on the face of the planet,” said Young. In spite of the physical demands, these ladies wouldn’t trade their sport for any other. All plan to continue rowing into the future. “It’s a sport that will take you to your wildest places,” said Mooney. Already it has taken the girls to races in South Africa, as well as across their own country. The team recently claimed the Massachusetts Public School’s Rowing Association state championship title. Young and Hooton hope the sport takes them to a future Olympics. This summer Young will attend a Junior Women’s National Development camp to help hone her skills further. Hooton will continue her training locally. “It’s not so much a sport as it is an art form,” said Young. Meanwhile, practice is at an end but the girls’ work isn’t quite finished. Together they must take the boat out of the water and stow the gear, all of which is expensive. Because it’s difficult to obtain regular funding for the little-known sport, Cape Cod Rowing has no boathouse for its shells, which sit on racks at the public beach at Lake Wequaquet. Last winter several boats were badly damaged when a tree limb fell on them, requiring costly repairs. “The biggest problem we have is the fact that we don’t have a boathouse,” said Monseair. While the club’s June 22 fundraiser at the Dockside in Hyannis will help, Monseair dreams of one day housing the club in its own location. As the sun rises higher above the water and a slight breeze ripples its surface, the girls prepare to “thread the needle,” or return the boat to its rack. In perfect synchronicity they raise their oars overhead before moving themselves to the shore. Then, again in harmony, they raise the shell high overhead, lower it to their shoulders and carry it to the rack. “Rowing is like a symphony,” said Hooton. “You’re able to get in the boat and everything just smoothes out. It’s raw aggression but it’s also beautiful. It’s a sport you can do for life.” Cape Cod Rowing will host a fundraising dinner, wine and beer tasting on June 22 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Dockside Restaurant in Hyannis. There will be a raffle with prizes including a kayak. For more information visit www.capecodrowing.org.

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